Our Salary Survey closed at the end of December, but it’s hard to imagine the popularity of the government among community pharmacy has improved since then.
From a funding perspective at least, nothing has changed for the better – though encouraging news has filtered out from the long-delayed commencement of CPCF funding for 2024, and 2025 onwards.
Yet the punitive measures the government took towards business in the budget counter its insistence it is on a mission to deliver growth. And like the vast majority of the business community, the UK’s community pharmacists aren’t buying the line.
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Asked if they had faith in the government, just 14% of respondents to the C+D Salary Survey said they did. A whopping 86% said they do not.
This should come as no surprise to Wes Streeting, Stephen Kinnock or the Department of Health.
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A tepid response to the findings of the comprehensive pharmacy inquiry was galling for many. And the lack of action to attempt to remedy an overdue situation has perplexed community pharmacy as it grapples with various pressures.
Understanding
Asked if C+D readers think this new government understands community pharmacy better than the last one, just 8% agreed.
The remaining 92% said it didn’t.
This stern admonishment is also reinforced by the responses to the survey asking who was to blame for the achingly long delay for a funding deal.
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Just 3% blamed CPE entirely. Some 48% blamed both government blamed Community Pharmacy England for the delay, and 20% placed the blame at the door of the government.
A reformational funding agreement may be transformational for both the future of community pharmacy, as well as the way the sector views the government. But at the moment, where pharmacy is concerned, there is a lot of headroom for it to grow in popularity.
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The C+D Salary Survey ran from October 16 2024 to Dec 31 2024 with 837 pharmacists and pharmacy staff taking part.
